I agree. MingZe (Mimi) Xi should quit Harvard Kennedy School of Government and go back to help Daddy Jinping (soon to be the Boss) run the authoritarian/technocratic Chinese Mandate of Heaven. Harvard (which actually doesn't make a fetish out of democracy) has nothing to teach to a smart upper-class Chinese lady.
By the way, how's Guagua Bo, the handsome Ferrari boy doing nowadays? Still at Harvard?

An objective way of judging the forced abortions in China would be to compare it with other countries where people are free to have as many children as they wish...
A VILLA MISERIA OUTSIDE Buenos Aires may have the worst feng shui in the world: it is built in a flood zone over a former lake, a toxic dump, and a cemetery. Then there’s the barrio perched precariously on stilts over the excrement-clogged Pasig River in Manila, and the bustee in Vijayawada that floods so regularly that residents have door numbers written on pieces of furniture.
Cities have absorbed nearly two-thirds of the global population explosion since 1950, and are currently adding a million babies and migrants each week. Dhaka, Bangladesh; Lagos, Nigeria; and Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, today are each approximately 40 times larger than they were in 1950. According to the Financial Times, China in the 1980s alone added more city dwellers than did all of Europe (including Russia) during the entire 19th century....http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/167
China seems to be the only country in that list which has drastically improved the welfare of its citizens. AND the welfare of the world (by a reduction of its resources via a slower-growing population)

Nah, you are missing the point on Libya. Western political NGO's start funding small factions. After a decade or two, those factions become sufficiently largely enough to receive arms. From there, conflict escalates. Voila, you get a crisis primed for some sort of outside military intervention. That formula has been repeated all too often and everyone can see it.

Funny thing you should bring up the Taiping Rebellion. The key issue there is to not let religion and politics mix. The Chinese paid a terrible price for it for letting religion running a mock.

Hence, the Chinese government is smart to crack down on illegal house churches. They are smart to make sure Bishops in China are not politically obedient to the Vatican. This is an example for the world.

"...the Chinese, together with the Russians, are often likely to keep dangerous tyrants safe from deserved sanctions."

From that point of view, I'm afraid that YOU'RE QUITE RIGHT, but guess what?? The fact is that both Russia and China are real kick-ass military powers, and both of them own permanent seats at the UN Security Council: I'm afraid it's unlikely that we will see any Chinese or Russian minister or general sitting on the defendant's bench at the International Criminal Court... And those who dare to interfere with their plans or want to mess with their great political apparatus, usually do it risking their own integrity and lives.

It may not be a matter of philosophy, but rather it's an issue of Real-Politik.

BFD - this is how criminal organizations are organized and operated the world over. It's for Chinese to change it, if they choose. It's for us in the West to take care to avoid complicity with the criminals. We need to improve our performance in that respect.

Nkab,
I am not Chinese; I am not even Asian; I am an American. I live in one of America’s wealthiest states; in one of its largest cities; in one of its most expensive neighborhood and let me tell the infrastructure is crumbling! America may have more infrastructure per capita, but it is old and crumbling and all the tax dollars needed to repair it is going to welfare and public employees. I have been to China on many occasions for business; I can attest to the fact that America is building nothing like China. When the US government (federal, state, or local) does get around to building something, it comes in over budget and well past deadline. More to the point, when I look for investment opportunities in America I cannot find them even when I try hard to “make it in America”. The taxes, regulation, and red tape make any type of mining or manufacturing nearly impossible and when you do find a fit, the difference in profit potential between Asia and America is like 10x. American’s are asleep; they are lazy and self-satisfied; they think America will always be dominate because it is “exceptional “. I have hired workers in Asia at a 20% premium to what it would cost to hire Americans simply because American workers are lazy and surly. They think they are owed a living, that is why the always talk about business exporting “our jobs”; guess what I invested the capital, that make them my jobs and I will send them were I want. It is good you’re cautious, but most in the international business community see the writing on the wall; China will be a superpower. Just keep the growth, continue the reforms, and stay focused.

Don’t not loses heart, by its size alone China will be a superpower; the CCP is trying not to alarm the West. As far as patriotism, American worship their country in a sick and idolatrous way, I don’t think China want to go down that road. Patriotism will grow with each and every victory China makes on international indices. When it comes to infrastructure, China has already built the capacity in terms of steel mills, cement plants, etc to build all it needs; construction is ongoing give it time. Meanwhile, America’s infrastructure is crumbling will every dollar in tax money is directed to welfare for the lazy, irresponsible, and public employees.

Since people have been bashing democracy, and promoting the merits of one party rule, I think I will have a go about promoting monarchy as the superior form of government, that China has benefited from for the last 3000 years. Well the article is titled "The Emperor Does Know ??"

Why a monarchy? The most successful countries in their respective regions in Asia -- Japan, Thailand, Malaysia still have monarchies. They are also the most political stable (cross one's fingers for Thailand). Malaysia benefited greatly from the rotating monarchy that she has, if one was to score points for originality I would give that idea a 10.

The problem with the current system in China, is no one really knows where the buck stops, in the old days, everyone knew where the buck eventually stops, the Emperor. Of course, one has to have a good Emperor, but there are many good candidates right here in the Economist east_wind, PL123, Daveycool etc. Its a far more simpler system than the current one, and will likely hasten reunification with Taiwan.

Furthermore, I don't know why the Chinese are so concerned about slowing population growth. Need more land, just invade Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia by force or illegal immigration. Need more resources annex Mongolia / Siberia by stealth. China is great today because of its massive population, and the best way to be more powerful is to reproduce more. Anyone who thanks China is great because of her civilization. Humbug !! If China had a population of 20 Million, she would be non-entity. If China had a population of 2 to 3 Billion, the West will shrivel in insignificance. I think Mao had the right idea.

When the Crown Prince reaches 18, he will have the people pick his 1st Princess through the talent show "Who Wants to Be A Princess ?" That way everyone has a choice.

I fell kinda of sad for Republican countries such as Korea, China, India, alot of their culture is lost. There is this sad article in the Economist about Yi Soek, the scion of the Yi Dynasty in Korea

Napoleon had the right idea, when he became Emperor. Basically he created a new aristocracy that was based partially hereditary and part meritocracy. Most systems in the world, even China's in some sense part hereditary part meritocracy. Napoleon was just more honest.

And to be fair, there are some western reviewer who give the impression they rather like to see China descend into chaos, and indeed they hail every little tweet of dissent as a sign of some impending explosion.

In China human life is not sacred. The obvious result is human life is expendable. When a society kills its members we must ask ourselves are we next in line? The hardened heart of one child policy enables all kinds of evil against humanity. The brave soul who extols such higher principles to suffer for the lives of others such as Mr. Chen should be applauded by every living person. Many people wouldn't be brave enough to seek justice for others who have suffered such horrific abuse. Would you be that brave, or for that matter would I?

[tocharian May 11th, 06:37
Corruption, Coercion and Control is how China has been ruled for millennia and the majority of the Han Chinese seem to really believe that this Chinese way of governance is a deeply imbedded characteristic of Chinese Confucian culture and hence (by default) far superior to the more "chaotic" Hans-Solo-style Western political ideas of "freedom, dignity and sanctity of the individual human being".]

The Chinese does NOT believe their 'Confucian culture' is 'far superior to the more "chaotic" Hans-Solo-style Western political ideas'. That is why they do NOT try to impose their social values on Western societies.

It is the imperialist West that believe THEIR Western culture is "far superior" to other cultures. That is why they go around the world kicking arses in order to impose their system on the rest of the world.